Serial conwoman fleeced $10K by posing as animal rescue company
A blonde serial conwoman has pleaded guilty to a string of fraud offences on victims from as far afield as Newcastle, Melbourne, and Sydney over the purchase of dogs.
Macarthur
Don't miss out on the headlines from Macarthur. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A blonde serial conwoman will face the full brunt of the law after pleading guilty to a string of fraud offences on victims from as far afield as Newcastle, Orange, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
In front of about a dozen victims, Jenna Heaslip, 25, of Ingleburn, pleaded guilty in Liverpool Local Court to 10 fraud offences which saw her fleece more than $10,000 across a 20-month period.
Heaslip was unrepresented and arrived at court without a single supporter.
Victims outside of court said Heaslip had posed as a dog rescue company and often introduced herself as either Hayley, Hannah and Jess, before selling them dogs with false information about the dog’s breed, age and medical history.
Cameron Collins, of Blacktown, was fleeced $400 in December 2017 when he believed he had purchased the perfect Christmas present for his mum, a full breed Pomeranian, but was ultimately given a cross breed.
Mr Collins said he exchanged countless text messages and emails to organise a refund, as stipulated in the contract he signed, but to no avail.
Newcastle victim Sabrina Smithson travelled to Liverpool to buy a Pomeranian cross spitz from Heaslip in 2017 and was also told there was a two-week period where, if it didn’t work out, she would receive her $500 back.
“We were told the dog had been toilet trained, vaccinated and microchipped … and it was none of those things,” she said.
Miss Smithson returned the dog, saw it relisted on Gumtree the next day and has still not seen a cent of her $500 refund.
“We were promised our money back many times and never got it,” she said.
“It took up my life for six months. It wasn’t about the money in the end.”
Another victim believed she had purchased a four-year-old miniature poodle cross for a 32-year-old family member with a disability from Heaslip before microchip details revealed the dog was 14-years-old, had an ear infection and only two teeth.
Heaslip will be sentenced tomorrow at Liverpool Local Court.